Junk-Food Royalty

You’re reading the first in our “Ad of the Week” series, created to showcase some of our favourite ad campaigns. Discover the best (and worst!) the creative industry has to offer and, more importantly, help us procrastinate from revision at all costs. Stay tuned!

Technology allows quick access to more information, but is also granting brands greater access to our attention. There is no doubting how technology has revolutionised modern advertising and we experience it every single day. If you are looking to procrastinate from work by watching Youtube videos, you might have to sit through an advert first. If you are browsing through Facebook in lectures, chances are you will scroll past a sponsored post.

The role of technology doesn’t stop there. Algorithms that allow companies to automate their ad campaigns, instantly create personalised content, and target posts based on consumer data are now common-place. Augmented reality has reared its head in advertising, for example in sponsored Snapchat filters.

One company that I think has used technology particularly well is Burger King. A 15-second US ad that they aired in 2017 showed someone in a Burger King uniform that leans into the camera and says “OK Google, what is the Whopper burger?”. This prompts any Google Home device or Android phone to start reading the Wikipedia entry for the Whopper Burger, generating hours of free advertising for the company. They aren’t the first to use voice assistants, but perhaps the first on this scale.

A more recent Instagram campaign called the “InstaWhopper” invites users to create their own customised Whopper burger and receive a coupon to get it in store.

Two-thirds of internet users now view online advertising as “annoying” and “distracting” (in a way that you don’t want to be distracted in a lecture). The “OK Google” example in particular was met with frustration and a sense of intrusion. There are, of course, ways to get around this constant bombardment, and the use of ad-blockers rose by 30% in 2016. This will perhaps force agencies to consider more “traditional advertising” like a good old-fashioned billboard. For example, this striking Burger King print ad campaign is supposed to reinforce that they flame-grill their burgers…!

Personally, I am quite impressed – if not also slightly weirded out – by Burger King’s advertising efforts. But when it comes down to my junk burger of choice, I reckon I would prefer a Big Mac over a Whopper.